In an interview to Karan Thapar on India Today TV, Parrikar said a one-member judicial commission can also relook at equilising pensions

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said government is reconsidering the denial of the OROP scheme to premature retirees.

In an interview to Karan Thapar on India Today TV, Parrikar said a one-member judicial commission can also relook at equilising pensions.

The One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme announced by the government at present does not cover those who take early retirement, something that the veterans demanding OROP have opposed.

Equilisation of pensions at present is to be done every five years, while the veterans want it to be done every year.

Talking about the big-ticket Rafale deal, the defence minister said that price is a big problem that is delaying the government-to-government deal for the fighter jets, even as France has on a percent offsets clause, a statement from the channel said.

India signed an inter-governmental pact with France to buy 36 Rafale fighters but the price negotiations are still on. France is said to have quoted around $9 billion for the 36 jets.

The deal would includes two types of missiles abd bombs, training of pilots and base facilities for the planes.

The minister also said he is "hurt" by the US decision to sell F-16 jets to Pakistan, a move which India has vocally opposed.

The minister also said he is convinced that ISI was involved in the 26/11 attack, adding that MEA could ask Pakistan to move the case relating to Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged handler of the Mumbai attackers, to a military court.

On the recent attack at an airbase in Pathankot, the minister said there were gaps in security, adding that local labourers could have helped the terrorists.

He also made it clear that the special investigation team from Pakistan probing the case there will not be allowed inside the Pathankot airbase.

Asked about the 7th Pay Commission and the concerns of the forces, the minister said it is being studied, and promised "rectification".

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.

User

A GIF button and a video support don't do much to fix those longstanding issues but they may bring the website up to compete with Facebook and Google

Aiming to take Twitter to a new level amid an existential crisis, the micro-blogging website is now bringing video support to Direct Messages.

"The company keeps plugging away at basic features to bring the service up to speed with competitors like Facebook Messenger. Following the addition of a GIF button on Wednesday, Twitter is rolling out this feature globally to iOS and Android smartphones," The Verge quoted the company as saying on Wednesday.

However, on twitter.com, user will be to send videos from within Direct Messages threads, but won't be able to record them directly on the website.

A GIF button and a video support don't do much to fix those longstanding issues but they may bring the website up to compete with Facebook and Google.

Recently, Twitter introduced a new timeline feature that allows users to never miss important tweets from people they follow by giving an option to see the best tweets first.

The rest of the tweets are displayed right underneath.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.

User

The company had informed Bombay Stock Exchange on Sep 4, last year that the cash consideration payable for Invagen is $500 million and for Exelan it is $50 million

Drug major Cipla has acquired two US-based firms -- InvaGen Pharmaceuticals and Exelan Pharmaceuticals -- for $550 million, the company said in a regulatory filing here on Thursday.

"The acquisition was made by Cipla's UK arm Cipla through a wholly-owned special purpose vehicle which would merge into InvaGen Pharmaceuticals after the acquisition. The combined revenue for the two companies for the year-ended 2015 is over $230 million," the company said in a statement.

The company had informed Bombay Stock Exchange on Sep 4, last year that the cash consideration payable for Invagen is $500 million and for Exelan it is $50 million.

"The acquisition will further strengthen Cipla's presence in US pharmaceutical market. InvaGen's balanced portfolio, robust manufacturing base and strong R&D capabilities will act as lever to expand Cipla's reach in the US market," said Umang Vohra, global chief operating officer.

The acquisition is expected to scale to Cipla's US business, currently 8 percent of total revenue and provide a launch pad to introduce its pipeline of products in the respiratory and injectables space, among other products.

This is the second landmark acquisition in Cipla's 80 year history after the one in South Africa.

InvaGen pharmaceuticals also provides Cipla about 40 approved abbreviated new drug applications, 32 marketed products, and 30 pipeline products which are expected to be approved over the next four years, the company said.

Exelan was incorporated in the year 2011 and is engaged in the business of sales and marketing of generic pharmaceuticals for the government and institutional market.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.